Saudi Arabia - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Saudi Arabia cover image

Saudi Arabia

May 1, 2026

Riyadh 12:41 am

25°C

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

OPEC's fourth-largest producer will leave the cartel on May 1, marking the most significant departure in the group’s history as the war changes Abu Dhabi's relationship priorities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

MUMEN KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel

The UAE accounts for 12% of OPEC's output, but tensions had been simmering over intragroup rivalries and the country wanting to export more oil.

United Arab Emirates

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

The proposed framework faces major hurdles and fault lines, ranging from NATO constraints to Israeli opposition and weak military integration.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia pursues quiet diplomacy as Trump pushes Israel normalization

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (L) disembarks from an airplane upon his arrival at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Jan. 23, 2025.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Analysis

Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock

A picture shows the Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid, administrated by Qatar Petroleum, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital Doha, on Feb. 6, 2017.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Girls attend a class at their school damaged by a recent Saudi-led air strike, in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Yemen October 24, 2017. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC15DF01CD40

Yemen war leaves harsh impact on education

The ongoing war in Yemen has led to the destruction of schools across the country, leaving millions of children without education.

Why are Syria's IDPs returning home?

UNHCR Filippo Grandi visits Douma, Syria; Jabhat al-Nusra dead-enders and foreign fighters face last stand in Idlib.

Saudi, Syrian foreign ministers visit Moscow for talks

After separate sets of discussions with the Syrian and Saudi foreign ministers, Russia continues to dwell on its displeasure with US moves in Syria.

A man sits in front of a house destroyed by air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen June 6, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC1182083EA0

UN war crimes report threatens US support for Yemen war

A UN report alleging that the anti-Houthi coalition may have carried out war crimes could further erode support for US bomb sales and military support.

Saudi troops march as they take part in Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 23, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood - RC1CF21EB9E0

Saudi Arabia, Iran battle for influence in Pakistan

As Iran and Saudi Arabia compete for influence in the Islamic world, Pakistan represents a crucial sphere of influence, but the country's new prime minister has been a critic of the Saudi-led war on Yemen.

What Israel wants from Qatar

By signing an arrangement with Hamas, and meeting Qataris, Israel opens the door for Qatari and Iranian influence in the Gaza Strip, and even in the West Bank.

US decision to cut aid could be opening for flagging Saudi approach to Syria

Syria stabilization will instead likely depend on Putin’s shuttle diplomacy with Ankara and Damascus.

Humanitarian aid is prepared to be delivered to Syria, in the town of Ramtha, Jordan, July 2, 2018. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC12927A2020

US outsources Syria aid to Gulf

In an apparent win for the Donald Trump administration, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to pick up the tab to stabilize Syria.

People walk past a house destroyed by an air strike in the old quarter of Sanaa, Yemen August 8, 2018. Picture taken August 8, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC1116261260

Trump, Democrats face off over Yemen war

President Donald Trump is spurning Congress’ bipartisan bid to exert more control over the war in Yemen despite signing key oversight provisions into law.

Saudi Arabia’s diplomacy has costs

Saudi Arabia's diplomatic decisions since King Salman took over the rule of the kingdom in 2015 have caused much controversy, with the bombing of a school bus in Yemen and the row with Canada over a tweet as recent examples.

Cairo breathes sigh of relief as Saudi oil exports resume through Bab el-Mandeb

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Falih announced that his country resumed oil exports via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, amid Egyptian fears that a decrease in traffic in the popular shipping corridor could impact Suez Canal revenues.

U.S. President Donald Trump signs the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 at the White House in Washington D.C., U.S. December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC1DBA301210

US defense bill could impact arms exports to Middle East

This year’s US defense authorization bill calls for reforming America’s high-tech exports even as weapons sales to the region boom.